Team Cohesion
by Super Shadowhenshin
Summary: When Rita Repulsa is accidentally released from her prison Zordon of Eltar is forced to recruit the help of five teenagers with attitude, but things don't go as planned when one of the teens refuses to get involved in the upcoming war. The Power Rangers will be pushed to the edge by the ruthless Empress, all while the true threat is hiding idly in the darkness. (Part one)
1. The Release: Part 1

_The skies burned bright with crimson light, bodies lay like broken toys across the former battlefield. Jason looked down at his hands, only to discover they weren't actually his. They were much to callused and scarred, he was also disturbed to discover they were coated in blood._

 _The world around him didn't look quite like Earth, but it very well could have been. The skyscrapers were cracked and dilapidated, and any sort of order seemed to have melted away long ago._

 _There were two men across from Jason, both handsome and coated in grand armor, the looks on my their faces could only be described as shock._

 _He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see a beautiful face with snake eyes. He didn't know who she was, but he knew that he loved her._

 _She spoke in words that Jason couldn't understand, but he couldn't help but feel joy rising from within his gut._

 _He could feel the snake around his neck, and he could feel the grin on his face._

It was then that he awoke, glazed in a fine film of sweat.

* * *

The great Mystic approached the obscure structure outside of the city of Angel Grove. The stone fortress was the stronghold of Zordon of Eltar, one of the greatest wizards in the galaxy.

He stood at the gates, and carefully channeled a signal of magical energy. It didn't take Zordon long to beam the man into the Command Center.

"Barza, it has been some time."

The old man flashed a toothless grin, he spoke with a voice softer than a whisper. "I have seen visions of the future, Rita Repulsa is soon to invade this planet."

Zordon frowned from inside of his tube. At this current time, he had neither any Rangers nor any access to powers. He figured it would be possible to send a warning to the Galactic Alliance, but that would also expose his whereabouts.

"Since you helped me all of those years ago I only see fit that I return the favor," Barza said and drew five coins. "These are the power of my people, our legacy. With their power users can control the mighty beasts of long ago," The ancient flashed a smile, "I imagine you can find an appropriate use."

Alpha 5 took the coins, "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you Barza," Zordon said.

The elder bowed and left without another word.

"We must hurry Alpha if Barza came to me then there isn't much time."

* * *

The NASADA ship landed on the moon's surface. Despite the disguise as another standard mission, the ship was actually run exclusively by members of a secret organization known as EAGLE.

Commander Andrew was the first out of the ship. His bulky spacesuit felt incredibly cumbersome on his body, thought the lower gravity did help quite a bit.

Accompanying the Commander was Vincent Wright, long term friend of Andrew and longer term asshole. "I swear these suits always make me chafe."

"We're on the moon, who else can say they've done that?" Andrew asked.

"Probably someone who doesn't have a burning rash between their legs."

The two were being trailed by another figure in a spacesuit. Andrew looked and frowned, "I told you to stay in the ship."

"Oh relax," Andrew's finance, Lilly, said in an innocent voice, "The numbers on the terminal aren't going to change."

"Quit flirting," Vincent said, "We're trying to do a job, this is no place for lovebirds."

Andrew thought of a good comeback, but before he could deliver it they were all silenced by the strange artifact in the gray sand. It was a golden apparatus with various gems engraved in the top.

"Well I suppose this is the kind of thing the guys back at base wanted us to find," Vincent said.

"Yeah. Wait, what are you doing?" Andrew asked as Vincent grabbed hold of the golden lid.

"Doing what I was ordered," Vincent said, tugging on the lid.

"I think we should report it before we start prying it open," Andrew said.

"That's no fun," Vincent said, "Where's your sense of adventure."

"I figured going to the moon was adventure enough."

The moment the lid cracked a red light suddenly poured out, dark energy flowed like smoke. "What the hell is going on?" Vincent asked. He got his answer moments after.

A posse of bazaar figures examined the three humans. A woman in purple robes stretched her arms out, "AHHH, after ten thousand years I'm free!" She then noticed the people before her, she peered at Andrew. "Terrestrials? Tell me, have those Earth Apes managed space travel?"

"Who are you freaks?" Vincent asked.

" _Freaks?_ " The woman roared, "That's no way to talk to the Empress of Evil!"

"Allow me to take care of them," A grungy sounding alien with a wolf face and golden armor stepped up.

"Heel Goldar!" The Empress of Evil screamed, "I want some fun." She pointed her staff at Lilly and grinned.

"No!" Andrew screamed, he tried to move in front of her but the blast was too quick. It struck her body and she instantly fell to the ground.

"Bastard!" Vincent screamed, Andrew stood numbly as his friend leaped at the Empress of Evil. Goldar moved in, his blade ran across the human's body, tearing through his suit and leaving a giant gash in his chest.

"Run," Vincent said in his dying breath.

The words of his friend snapped him out of his trance and Andrew started to run.

No one followed, but the Empress of Evil uttered a wicked witch of the west laugh as he bolted to the spaceship.

* * *

It was a pretty good day for Jason Lee Scott. He was in the middle of his weekly martial arts training session. A group of younger kids, with a few fellow teens all, mimicked the series of simple moves he demonstrated.

The doors to the Youth Center opened and two figures walked in. Jason recognizes them only by having a few classes with them. The first was Trini Kwan, a Korean American with the current status of class president. She didn't like Jason very much. With her was another notable face, Billy Cranston, local nerd.

"Sorry to interrupt," Trini said to Jason, interrupting the lesson, "But Billy here is late to your lesson. He was hiding in his room."

"I was finishing my short-range wrist communicator," He defended.

"Hey, Billy, better late than never," Jason said with a nod. Trini rolled her eyes and melted away into the crowd.

On the other side of the Juice Bar, Zackary Taylor slid next to Kimberly Hart. "Hey sweetie," Zack said with a grin. "Wanna smoothie?"

Kimberly frowns at him, "Sorry, I've got a water."

"Oh," Zack said, "Well what about tonight?"

"Studying for a test," She said thoughtlessly.

"What class?"

" 's social studies."

"I have that sixth period, I can help," Zack insisted.

"No thanks, I'm already at a C," Kimberly said and stood up.

It was then that the entire Youth Center began to tremble.

Some people began to scream and run while others ducked to the ground. The lights flickered and drywall crumbled around them.

"What's going on?" Jason asked. Then Jason, Trini, Kimberly, Billy, and Zack were all enveloped in a bright light.

The universe returned and dropped them off onto a cold metal floor.

"Aye,yi,yi,yi," A stocky red android with a round head exclaimed.

"Woah!" Billy said, examining the thing, "A fully functional sentient automation!"

"When your done flirting with the robot can you tell me where we are?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Zack said, "This is like some kind of science fiction movie…"

"Welcome to the Command Center!" A male voice boomed, the teens turned to see a giant blue floating head inside of a tube.

"Holy…" Kimberly muttered.

"I am Zordon of Eltar," The head said, "And your city is in grave danger."

" _We're_ in grave danger," Zack said, "You kidnapped us!"

"I must apologize for my rashness," Zordon said, "But please observe the viewing globe.

The teens turned a round orb that displayed an imagine of a pair of golden armored creatures attacking the city. The first was a blue faced wolf creature with a humanoid body, the other appeared to be human with beautiful features and a deadly grin.

"These are agents of Rita Repulsa, one of the most wicked creatures in all of the galaxy," Zordon said.

"That's cool and all, but how do we fit into this?" Zack asked.

"You five all contain D.N.A that is not of this world," Zordon explained, "Ten thousand years ago your ancestors and I came to this planet in hiding. I trapped myself into a time warp so I could be here when the time was right when the world needed heroes the most."

Alpha had a small chest open in his arms, inside of the chest was five separate devices. "These are your Dino Bucklers, with them you can assume the power of the ancient beasts that once roamed the earth."

Alpha handed each of them their specific Buckler. "Excuse me," Trini said, "Why are these called Dino Bucklers if mine as a saber tooth tiger?"

"All will be explained in time," Zordon replied. "Now, will the five of you take up the mantle and become the Power Rangers?"

"I'm in!" Jason and Zack said at the same time.

"Me too," Trini replied.

"Same," Billy said, he looked at Trini and then back at Zordon, his face grew very red.

The four looked at Kimberly, "I'm sorry," She said and handed her Dino Buckler to Alpha, "I can't do this, it's too much."

"Wait!" Zack exclaimed, "Kimmy, come on."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped back.

Zack shrunk away but Kimberly didn't seem to care.

"The four of you can go play hero," Kimberly said bitterly, "I just want to go home."

"Very well," Zordon said, "The choice is yours." A pink light surrounded Kimberly and sent her away. Jason couldn't help but notice that the Dino Buckler was gone as well.

"I will send the four of you to the city," Zordon explained, "May the Power protect you."

* * *

Jason and the three other teens appeared in the middle of the city, and it was a mess. People ran in terror as strange gray monsters chased them. Jason went to go help them, but then his eyes cast towards the two golden villains casually walking down the street. They destroyed every car in sight, and sent volleys of energy into nearby buildings, causing them to collapse.

Jason felt his insides tense, the duo was moving away from the shopping district and heading towards a nearby cluster of houses, one of which was owned by Jason's mom and stepdad.

"Hey!" Zack called as Jason ran towards the duo, "We're trying to save people over here!"

Jason ignored him, he needed to make sure his parents were safe.

The girl cast in golden armor turned to Jason and laughed, "It looks like we have a human volunteering his existence away."

She raised her giant curved weapon and threw a thin line of purple energy, the blast missed Jason by mere inches, and he continued his rush towards them.

"These humans have always been full of themselves," The wolf monster grunted.

The wolf monster armed his flaming blade and swung it at Jason, the teen felt a rush of energy from inside of his chest. It wasn't like anything he'd ever felt before, it was like the spark meant to ignite some great flame. The blade swung over Jason's head and he plowed right into the beast. The golden blade hit against the concrete as the two fell downward. Jason punched the creature in the snout, the skin around its face crumbled back a bit and the monster screamed out in pain.

"You filth!" The creature spat and hit Jason square in the cheek. Jason felt his world spinning, his strength was completely drained, and all he was capable of was laying limp as the villain laughed, "I'm going to _enjoy_ tearing you to pieces…" The monster spat.


	2. The Release: Part 2

Kimberly was walking home, her house was placed on a separate suburb outside of Angel Grove so the sound of fighting was all but mute. Her thoughts lingered about the strange meeting with Zordon of Eltar, but she tried to let them pass. What he had said must have been a mistake, because that had nothing to do with her.

All that mattered to Kimberly was gymnastics, that was her key to college and maybe even the Olympics. As long as she stayed on track her future would be ripe for the taking.

And fighting some aliens wasn't staying on track.

She slid her key into the lock on her front door, but that was when she heard the scream. It came from a few houses down.

She tried to ignore it as the door swung wide open, but it continued to nag at her. The thought of someone in trouble dug a deep hole in her chest.

 _Forget it._ She coached herself, _the police will take care of it._

Yet the scream continued, this time louder and more concerned.

Kimberly rushed towards it, leaving her purse alone at the door frame.

She was shocked to find a young man being attacked by a strange gray monster with a rocklike face.

The creature seemed to lose interest in the man and instead leaped right for Kimberly. Using a nimbleness earned from years of training she dodged the creature and ran home. She could sense that it was following behind her, but she was thankfully faster.

The door slammed behind her, which was then met with the bulking body of whatever was chasing her. She could hear it clawing at the door, but it didn't seem to be able to break in.

She sighed and moved to make sure all of her other doors were closed, but based on the way the creature continued to bang on the door she figured it wasn't quite smart enough find another entrance.

The reality of the situation came crashing down. The Earth was being invaded and she was chosen to be a hero.

Kimberly Hart fell the ground and started to weep.

* * *

The golden beast prepared to slice Jason in half, "Well," He found himself whispering, "It's been a good run."

A baseball sized rock bounced off the monster's head. He growled and turned to see Zack grinning. "Come on bigfoot, throw one back," The teen taunted.

The creature growled, "You have made a mistake, none who challenge Goldar live to tell the tale…"

The golden female moved in to kill the duo, but she was interrupted by another figure grabbing her by the arm and throwing her down.

"Who dares?" Goldar hissed.

Billy blushed, "I thought I would use the distraction to my advantage." Trini was right behind him, she was obviously terrified, but still tried to appear remotely calm.

"I think it's time to crank out those new toys," Jason said, ignoring the splitting pain in his head.

The four teens nodded and drew their Dino Bucklers. Jason had to admit that despite the clunky design of the Bucklers they still felt pretty initiative. They each held their devices out as they screamed.

"It's Morphing Time!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason called as he was enveloped in red light.

"Mastodon!" Zack called and was enveloped in black light.

"Sabertooth Tiger!" Trini called and was covered in yellow light.

"Triceratops!" Billy screamed and was filmed in blue radency.

The four teens were covered in strange battle armor, each of the figures was covered in a primary color. Jason was Red, Billy was Blue, Zack was Black, and Trini was Yellow. Their armor was a plated texture that seemed to be some cross between spandex and a shimmering scaly metal.

Each of the teens had helmets that reflected the name of the creature they called.

Jason was the Tyrannosaurus.

Billy was the Triceratops.

Zack was the Mastodon.

And Trini was the Sabertooth Tiger.

The Tyranno Ranger drew his hand blaster and fired into Goldar, sparks erupted from his golden armor and he howled in annoyance.

More of the gray creatures appeared, they modeled their hands into a sharp blade-like appendage and jumped at Black Ranger.

The ranger jumped away from the swing, "Man these guys are annoying!"

Tiger Ranger danced around the golden female, "I haven't seen this level of disrespect since I destroyed Regina. Her blade ran across Yellow Ranger's chest and sparks erupted.

"I'll save you!" Blue screamed, he changed his blaster to blade mode and charged towards the warrior. Their blades clashed, but she easily kicked him away.

"These are the Zordon's chosen Rangers?" The woman asked, "Maybe the old man's getting desperate," She twirled her blade around, forming a cyclone of energy that hit the two Rangers and sent them both flying backward.

" _Rangers_ ," Zordon said through their helmets comm, " _You must sound summon your Power Weapons._ "

Zordon uploaded a series of complicated numbers, despite the fact they were obscure enough to make Billy blush Jason could translate them perfectly.

He channeled the morphing and summoned a large sword in his hands. He grinned from under his helmet and slashed right into Goldar. His armor sparked and dented, forcing the wolf creature back a few steps, smoke leaking from his chest.

Blue Ranger used a long forked staff to tear into the gray creatures, his blades left three long gashes in the creature's chest. "These appear to be some kind intelligent, organic sediment."

"Meaning?" The black ranger asked as sliced one of the creature's in half with his new Power Axe.

"They're living clay!" Yellow translated as she parried with the golden-armored girl.

Goldar snarled and grabbed his bleeding chest. He opened his wide leathery wings. "We'll meet again Rangers," He spat and grabbed the woman and flew off.

* * *

Kimberly was still sobbing when the blade slid through her door, she watched with horrid fascination. It wiggled itself out before stabbing through again. Kimberly wiped her face and stood up.

She knew that no matter what she did the creature would find a way into her house, this knowledge motivated her to action.

She rushed into her kitchen and looked for anything of potential use, most of her knives were for butter, and it seemed as if the sharpest tool was safety scissors.

After a few moments of searching her hand curled around a butcher knife. It felt heavy and awkward in her hand, but Kimberly was determined to make it work.

Kimberly's heart pounded against her as she approached the door. There were a series of slits pounded into it that she didn't know how to explain to her parents, but at the very least it was still standing.

She grabbed the doorknob and then jumped back, almost as if it were on fire. Fear clenched her throat, but she tried her hardest to muster every ounce of courage inside her.

She took a deep breath and tried to imagine she was some hero from a comic she obsessed over as a kid. Heroes didn't feel this level of fear, so neither should she.

She threw the door opened before her body could reject and the creature leaped forward.

Kimberly screamed a high pitched whine that muffled into a growl. For a brief moment, she lost everything about her. Every single detail about her life melted away in a red rage. The blade came down and sunk right into the creature's chest. She pulled it free will little resistance and stabbed again, this time the blade stuck and she couldn't free it. She jerked and pulled, but it was like a spoon in clay, or more appropriately, a knife in putty.

The creature melted one blade back into a useable appendage and grabbed Kimberly's shoulder. She shivered at the lifeless cold it carried. It exhaled a deep breath, creating a noxious fume that caused her legs to wiggle around like Jell-O.

She pushed the creature down while falling the opposite direction herself. She yelped as her tailbone crashed against the metal bottom of her doorframe.

While she was trying to recover from the electricity that ran up her spine the monster leaped on her. She squirmed was away from the blade moments before it crashed into the ground and splintered.

With a warrior roar, she kicked the monster away and slid into her house.

The creature followed, the deep gashes in its chest bleed small gray crumbs when it moved too violently.

Kimberly was covered head to toe in a strange static, it numbed her down to the bare animalistic mind, and she grabbed her grandfather's former walking cane from the coat rack and charged. She slammed it down against the creature, making a crater in its shoulder, she slammed again, and again, until the force pulled the arm off and caused it to drop to the ground.

She screamed again and converted her entire existence into a series of wild and powerful swings. By the time she stopped the creature was nothing but a blob of strange gray putty sitting outside of her door. She sighed and closed her door before sitting on her couch and passing out.

* * *

Andrew surveyed the damaged city. The two monsters may have only made it a few blocks, but those two blocks were hell. He angrily swung his boot over a few rocks and other carnage before finding himself gawking at a human corpse. A female with a bloodied skull. Rage filled inside him.

He was going to kill that purple robed freak. He wished only to feel her windpipe close against his fist. He was going to show her what an EAGLE soldier could really do.

"I figured you'd be here," a voice said. Andrew whipped around and met the cold blue eyes of General Mitchell. The mustachioed man offered a thin grin.

"What do you mean?"

"You're connected to this now, no matter what you do you'll always come back."

If he wasn't Andrew's superior the young man would have already assaulted him.

"I'm working on a new program, one that would allow us to take the fight to them," the general said, "We just need a leader."

Andrew knew what the man was suggesting, and the concept caused a sideways look on Andrew's face.

"Come with me and I'll give you what you want. You'll get a shot at killing that witch."

General Mitchell walked off, and Andrew blindly followed.

 **A/N: I apologize for this being a very watered down Day of the Dumpster but I had wanted to get the team introduction done in a swift manner. Things will pick up and swim farther into the A.U next chapter.**


	3. The Snake

Rita Repulsa rediscovered her fortress on the moon. It was a snazzy castle, one that seemed to mimic her personal flare. It was a gift from her father when she first tried to invade the Earth 10,000 years prior.

Her two loyal warriors, Goldar and Scorpina arrived back from their attack on Earth. Their arrival had merely been a test, one to see how strong the planet's defenses really were.

She had watched through her magic telescope and she wasn't pleased.

"How could my greatest warriors get trumped by a bunch of snot-nosed brats?" Rita screeched.

"They were more than just kids," Scorpina said with a scowl.

"That's right Goldar insisted, "They were Power Rangers."

Those words made the Empress's blood boil. "And here I was hoping that fool Zordon had crooked already," She paced about the room before turning to her white-faced goblin, "Finster, make me a new monster!"

"Yes Rita," Finster said, he sat at his workstation and carefully constructed a figure from a magical putty. It would later be dropped into an oven, along with a few spare Putty Patrollers, and brought to life using a powerful magic.

Rita moved to her telescope and watched as the young brunette walked to school. Rita could sense the Morphing energy radiating off of her, it was clear that she was not only of Etarian blood but that Zordon meant for her to be one of his soldiers.

"If we kill her before she can join the rest of those Power Punks then Zordon won't stand a chance!" Rita proclaimed before breaking into a laughing fit.

* * *

Kimberly swung her backpack over her shoulder as she exited the high school. She hadn't seen hind or tail of the four other teen kidnapped by Zordon, and that was certainly a blessing. She kept the Dino Buckler on her, despite the idea that Zordon might have bugged it because she found herself uncontrollably drawn to it.

"Hey Kimmy," a voice said from behind her. She turned to see a redhead dressed in a short leather jacket and gray pants. "You still going?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Where?" Kimberly asked.

The girl flashed a sour expression, "The party," she hissed.

Kimberly was suddenly struck with context, "Oh yeah, tonight right?"

"Duh."

"Y-yeah I'll be there," Kimberly said. She had been excited for the last month, how had she completely forgotten?

"I heard Zack got some pretty good weed."

"Zack?" Kimberly asked, feeling a sudden pain in her stomach.

"Yeah, Annie's ex, his brother's a big supplier."

"Oh," Kimberly said, "that's great, I guess…"

"So, see you tonight?" The girl asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly said, "tonight."

Kimberly went home to get ready. She knew that it was going to be a disaster, but she couldn't afford the backlash, not when she was barely hanging on to her social circle as is.

* * *

Zack stood next to his older brother and handed him some money.

Richard was a burly man, six foot five and with a stare that tore you in half.

"Are you sure you want two ounces?" Richard asked, "Maybe you should stick to smaller stuff."

"Nah man, I got this."

Richard sighed, "Whatever you say, but remember, Mom and Dad won't bail you out forever."

"Yeah, yeah," Zack mumbled, their dad was a judge and their mom was a nurse, even after their parents croaked the two Taylor brothers would be set for life.

"They'll send you to military school!" Richard screamed as Zack threw his backpack into his car and drove the towards the party.

* * *

By the time Kimberly arrived kids were already drinking. They all lounged around any furniture in the living room, a few kids were passing a bottle around while sitting cross-legged on the table. She strolled past them, looking for the friend that invited her in the first place.

She strolled into the kitchen and was met with the overwhelming aroma of weed. Three teens stood around the small kitchen and passed the burning joint around. The last person to have it was none other than Zackary Taylor. He noticed Kimberly as smiled, "Hey Kimmy," He said with a cheesy grin. His eyes were watery and bloodshot.

"I'm looking for Wendy," Kimberly said to no one in particular.

Zack laughed obnoxiously, "She left to see if her sister would buy us some more booze, you just missed her."

"I guess I'll just leave then," Kimberly muttered and left for the back entrance.

"Wait Kimmy!" Zack called, following her out.

The two stood beside the outside siding as muffled music pounded with bass, "Don't call me that!" She snapped.

"Just stay around, she'll be right back!" Zack pleaded.

"Why don't you just get off my back?" Kimberly asked.

She took a step away, but that was when the figure appeared. It was a youthful female with long black hair and scaly armor, her arms and upper chest were covered in loose cloth and she wore a golden necklace. She grinned as she snapped a whip that caught Kimberly's leg. Kimberly tried to pull free, but the whip remained stubborn.

"Hey!" Zack screamed and rushed to help her. He wrapped his arm around her just as the strange foe teleported her away, taking Zack along with.

* * *

The two awoke in a strange foggy land. Kimberly could hear Zack coughing rather loudly. For her first few moments awake she resisted the same feeling. The smell in this land was horrid.

"Where are we?" Kimberly asked.

"Like I'd have any idea," Zack muttered. He lifted Kimberly up and the two examined the landscape. It was a barren world, grassless with red colored clay covering the ground that collected in small hills and did little else. The entire land seemed dead and generally unfriendly.

"This is what happens when I get roped into those shitty parties," Kimberly muttered.

"This doesn't have anything to do with that!" Zack defended.

"Whatever," Kimberly said.

"Why are you being such a stick in the mud?" Zack asked. "I didn't ask to be stuck here either, so don't blame me."

Kimberly walked away from the other youth. Her bag swung like a pendulum as she nearly tripped over a small clay mound.

"We need to stick together," Zack said, "It's the only way we'll survive."

"Guess I'd rather die then," She said and sped off.

Kimberly tried to ignore the bone-white skeleton she passed over as she moved onward. She'd find her way out of the situation, and she'd do it without the "help" of Zackary Taylor.

The ground below her suddenly began to shake. She screamed and tried to run off, but she slipped on the skeleton and fell to her knees, which sunk down in the spongy ground. From the red clay a large bipedal snake monster appeared. The green creature smiled with its sharp teeth and allowed a thin line of green silva to slip down.

Kimberly didn't know what to do, she watched with dull horror as the smaller snakes shed from the monster's back and slithered towards her.

"Mastodon!" She heard Zack scream from behind her. Though that became irrelevant as the cobra leaped towards her.

The Black Ranger shot the two of them from the air, their withered bodies hit the ground dully.

"I said we needed to stick together for a reason," The Black Ranger said. He fired a few blasts into the large monster before rushing towards it. He drew his Power Axe and smashed it into the creature's shoulder.

The creature hissed and bit down into his armor, Kimberly was shaken by his cries of pain. He threw his fists into the creature's head in some vain attempt at releasing its jaw, but he remained trapped.

Kimberly thought back to when she destroyed that gray creature if she could do that why couldn't she do something now? Why was she so numb? How could she just watch helplessly as the Black Ranger grew numb in the monster's jaw?

She reached into her bag and drew her Dino Buckler, just as the force that led her to that knife days ago she was finding herself clawing at its silver surface.

"Pterodactyl!" She yelled as a pink energy surged around her.

Her armor was similar to Black Rangers, though it was pink and her helmet depicted the mighty Pterodactyl. In this new form, her mind was racing, her visor granted a more in-depth description of the world around her, when she looked at the snake monster she could see a series of squirming cobra dancing around and pulsing heart.

The Pink Ranger took a deep breath. She tried to focus on the task at hand, a large bow formed in her hands and she carefully drew back an arrow. The monster had used its powerful venom to burn a hole through his armor, and it was starting to turn his skin the color of a rotting banana.

Pink let the arrow fly. It soared through the air and sunk right into the creature's thick hide. For a heart-stopping second she was sure it didn't work, but then the monster melted away into a pile of dried cobra.

Zack's armor disappeared and fell to the ground. Kimberly rushed over to his fallen form, his eyes were closed tight and his skin was drenched in a sweat.

"Are you okay?" She asked, knowing it was a stupid question but unable to create a better one.

"Peachy…" He croaked. "I feel like a million bucks.

"It seems like my little pet did his job quite well," The black armored woman said as she approached the Pink Ranger. "Though she left me with one more Ranger to take care of."

Pink pointed another arrow at the villain's head. "Go away," she hissed.

"Not until I finish my job," She said with a grin, "Rita won't be pleased if I let you walk off."

Pink launched an arrow and the warrior knocked it out of the air with her whip.

The new Ranger was gripped with fear, even with the help the suit offered she was mortified. The icy gaze of the woman stuck Pink in place. The woman moved closer, her walk was fluid and delicate, it seemed as though she had perfectly mimicked the movements of the snake.

The Pink Ranger held out her hand, it was the only sort of movement she could venture to use, and she was left hoping it was enough. The woman jumped with her whip ready, but a small orb of pinkish energy expelled from the pink ranger's hand and splashed against the villain's black armor.

"Kimberly," the distinct voice of Zordon said, "Alpha has a lock on your location, grab Zack and let us teleport you out of there."

Pink had a lot of questions, but she couldn't afford to ask them. She bent down and scooped the teen up.

The woman growled at the duo. She rushed towards them, but it was too late, and they were already at the Command Center.

Alpha examined Zack, "Aye, yi,yi,yi!" The android exclaimed. "He looks really bad!"

Zack was brought to a stone bed and Alpha proceeded to scan him with various devices.

"He's lucky to be alive," Zordon announced. "The venom inside of him is some of the most potent in the Galaxy."

"Is he going to die?" Kimberly asked and then instantly regretted doing so.

"Not if it can be helped," Zordon said.

It was then that the other three teens appeared, Kimberly quickly demorphed before anyone noticed the armor.

"What happened to Zack?" Jason asked.

"It appears to be some kind of necrotizing toxin," Billy said.

"He means it's a flesh-eating venom," Trini explained.

"Who did this?" Jason asked angrily as he rushed over to Zack.

"Aye,yi,yi,yi!" Alpha Five exclaimed, "Keep your distance!"

Zack was still unconscious, despite Jason's screaming.

"I've tracked down a potential cure to the venom," Zordon said to the Rangers. The four teens turned their heads to the blue tube. "Deep in jungle planet of Kolzar-4 there is an abandoned research lab that I had the pleasure of visiting in my youth. There they created a water that could cure any impurity."

"How do you know it's still there?" Billy asked.

"The teleportation module is still active, so I can only assume that the station is too."

"We're on it," Jason said.

Kimberly looked at the other teens, they all carried the same determined look on their faces. She didn't want to be a part of this, it wasn't her battle, and she knew what her next move would symbolize.

She sighed, sometimes doing the right thing was really tedious. "I'll come too."

"Very good Kimberly," Zordon said, "It is good to see you taking the proper steps towards being a hero."

Whatever, she thought to herself, as long as I can get this over with…

"Step onto the teleportation module," Zordon commanded, the Command Center spotlighted a circular platform in the corner of the room.

The four teenagers did as instructed, and the world around them filled with electricity.

"Be swift young ones," Zordon said, "And may the Power protect you."

* * *

Scorpina watched Rita's newest warlord walk alone through the halls of their new fortress. The black armored warrior was certainly strong, and according to Rita she had managed to knock one Ranger off the board already.

Despite this Scorpina couldn't help but feel suspicious. This new lady was hiding some dark secrets. Scorpina could smell it on her, the stink hung like a rotting corpse. The girl stank of filth, she reeked of humanity.


	4. The Lab

Zordon looked down at the young teen and sighed. He never meant for things to get so serious. He knew it would be tough for them, and he knew it would take buckets of valor, but it wasn't suppose to come to this.

"His vitals are declining," Alpha admitted, "Although they're falling slowly, I'm worried that the Rangers won't be able to get the water in time."

"Have faith Alpha," Zordon said in a knowing voice.

He remembered back to the time spent in the facility. It was during the beginning days of the ragtag rebellion that would create the mold for the Alliance to follow. Those days had been short and brutal, and Zordon often found himself cornered on some backwater planet torn to shreds by the Vile Empire.

The planet of Kolzar-4 had been a ray of hope among the ever pressing cloak of darkness.

The people of the planet were a highly advanced race of humanoids, who claimed to have a deep blood connection to the mysterious Order of Meledon, a hyper ancient civilization who gave creation to every sapient life form in the galaxy, potentially even the entire universe.

The people of Kolzar had been more than kind to the aspiring young Eltarian and his two companions. They had offered him refuge in their idealistic society while he recovered from his space-bound damages.

Kolzar stayed out of the intergalactic war, choosing to focus on advancing life for all beings in the universe regardless of their side in the conflict.

He had loved every second of his stay there, it was more than refreshing to see people so content with life and without malice. Yet he was starting to feel a sliver of dread, where he saw utopia, his partners were beginning to see a looming threat.

"We can't let Vile get his dirty hands on this stuff," his hot headed companion said in a hushed voice.

"So we'll protect them," Zordon urged, fearing what words might escape his friend's scowling lips.

"We don't have the time, nor the resources."

"Are you implying that it's better to undercut the entire galaxy than risk giving the enemy an edge?" Zordon asked in an angered voice.

"Okay…" Alpha said, faking compliance as best as he could. Zordon didn't blame the android for its anxiety, for they lacked the knowledge and experience he had collected.

Zordon wasn't worried about his teenage team failing, not because of their already excelling skills, but because he knew that a Power Ranger would do whatever they must to get the job done.

* * *

The four teens arrived in the brightly lit laboratory. They surveyed the area with wide eyes. The first to slip out of the trance was Billy. He scoped around the equipment like a hungry dog.

"This is at least fifty times more advanced than anything we have on Earth!" He exclaimed.

"Well then how about you leave it alone," Jason said with a worried tone, he'd seen enough Indiana Jones to know what happens when you lurk around strange places so loudly.

"Think about all we could learn," Billy said. "They might have the proper equipment for faster than light travel, or even a perfect antibiotic."

"Just relax Billy," Trini said softly, "We don't know anything about this planet, let alone this building."

"Science is absolute," Billy breathed halfheartedly, his hands already pressed against the large keyboard.

The moment he pressed down one of the smooth stone keys an alarm sounded.

A bright red light flashed across the teens, and Kimberly screamed.

"See what you did?" Jason asked.

"I-I was trying to help!" Billy said.

"Well, now we've gotta find the water before this entire place explodes!" Jason exclaimed.

Jason revealed a map Zordon had given him. The teens had to rush out of the "teleportation room" and through the "testing room" to a place simply labeled "refinery".

Kimberly was close at Jason's tail as they moved into the Testing Room. He was still surprised to see her volunteer on this mission since she completely blew them off last time without much noticeable guilt.

The testing room was all bare walls, the only substance was their feet squeaking on the granite floor.

"It seems as if this room was cleared out for some reason," Billy pondered, "I wonder what happened."

To the teen's surprise, the metal door that led to the Refinery slid open.

"That was easy," Jason said.

"Don't jinx it," Kimberly spat.

Two figures suddenly stepped out of the room. They were both mechanical humanoids, one was red while the other was blue.

"We are the Ironmen, protectors of this complex," A tall, bulky machine with thick blue armor and a grilled visor said. "I am Groundain."

"And I am Skydain," The red android said, she clearly had a femininity in mind in terms of design. Her body was sleek with spots of red armor around her arms, legs, and chest, and her head sculpt resembled a sleek jet plane.

"We can not allow you to enter the Refinery, it's content can not be allowed to enter the hands of the Master Vile," Groundain said.

"We don't even know who that is," Jason said.

"Inconsequential," Skydain said, "Master Vile's influence runs deep in all living things."

"So you're not gonna make this easy?" Jason asked.

"It doesn't look like it's in their programming," Billy said as the two androids charged towards them.

"I guess we have no choice," Jason said, holding his Dino Buckler up "It's Morphin' Time!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

"Triceratops!"

"Sabertooth tiger!"

"Pterodactyl!"

The other rangers turned to the pink warrior among their ranks. "What?" She asked.

"I didn't know you actually used yours," Jason said.

"Pink looks good on you," Billy blurted.

"Stop gawking," Trini muttered, "We have to take care of these guys."

The Tyranno Ranger jumped to the side as the blue Ironman came crashing forward. His Power Sword appeared in his hand and the Red Ranger used it to cut into the enemy's side. Sparks erupted like normal, but these seemed like they were a darker shade of red.

Skydain drew twin arm blades and cut into the Blue and Yellow Rangers. They each flew back with surges of energy expelling from their armor.

"Power Rangers?" Skydain asked, "Where does your alliance lay?"

"Zordon, you bucket of bolts!" The Red Ranger said as he barely dodged a blast from the Ironman's chest cannon.

"Impossible," Groundain said, "You lack the seal of the Alliance, this is clearly an elaborate trick."

The Pink Ranger fired her bow into the chest of the Blue Ironman. He ignored the injury and charged his cannon for another assault, but the overflow of energy caused him to spark with electricity and fly backward.

"Brother!" Skydain called and ran to her comrade's aid. She held him close to her chest, completely ignoring the Rangers.

The four easily passed the two androids and stepped into the Refinery. It was a large circular room with a pool resting in the middle of it.

"That water looks so clean…" The Yellow Ranger marveled. The water was vibrant blue color, it was still it might as well have been actual crystal.

The Red Ranger grabbed the flask he had been given and gently placed into the water. Once full he lifted it up. "I hope this can help Zack…" He muttered out loud.

As they turned back to exit the Refinery the Pink Ranger screamed out in horror. A skeleton lay against the corner of the room. The bones were neatly leaning against the side of the wall, almost as if he had knocked there in his final moments.

"Look at his wrist," The Blue Ranger observed. Resting of the yellowish wrist of the skeleton was a strange metallic device. The Blue Ranger moved to pick it up.

"Just wait a second," Red said, "You need to stop touching things."

"This is different," Blue said, "I can feel it. It's giving off a strange power."

"Maybe Zordon could tell us," Yellow offered.

"No," He said defensively, "I don't want anyone telling Zordon about this."

Nobody objected but the awkwardness hung in the air. None of them really understood Billy, but they all respected him.

The four exited the Refinery, walking past the Ironmen unnoticed.

They all stepped onto the teleportation pad and headed towards the Command Center.

* * *

Skydain held her brother close. He was leaking valuable fluid onto the cold ground, and her internal sensors were indicating that he would be dead in a matter of moments.

Rage inside her was building steadily, hatred for those bastards that forced her kin to fade away. If given the chance she would gladly return the brutality delivered to him.

A man appeared into the lab, his shoes echoed across the floor as he approached the duo. He was an older man with thin streaks of gray in his slicked back hair. He wore a neatly pressed suit and carried a very charismatic smile.

Skydain had allowed the four intruders to get away previously, but she couldn't afford to allow her emotions to hold her back any longer. She stood up, "You have entered protected property, leave if you wish you keep your life."

The man scowled and snapped his fingers.

Skydain went to move, but with a shocking clarity, she realized it was impossible. An internal diagnostic claimed that something was blocking her from sending energy to any of her limbs.

"I want you to listen to me," The man said, "I can fix him."

Skydain looked down at her partner, that statement didn't seem likely.

"Why would you want to help us?" She asked the man.

"I need the assistance of you both," The man admitted. "There are going to be some rather tedious trials ahead, and I need to get all of my duckies in a row."

"We aren't puppets," Skydain spat.

"I never implied you were," The man said and shrugged, "I'm simply offering you a solution."

Skydain looked down to her brother, he wouldn't survive, and she didn't know if she could move on without him. "Fine," She said bitterly, "Just fix him."

The man flashed a big grin, "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Zordon watched as he four teens returned with the flask. They seemed to have an overwhelming sense of pride that almost overshadowed their worried denominator.

"I assume you had no trouble?" Zordon asked, noting the speed of their mission.

"Piece of cake," Jason said with the flask in hand.

Zordon remembered that he had constructed two robots to guard the building and its valuable water, but he supposed they had fallen into disrepair. It had been a very long time since their creation after all.

"You said the place was active," Billy said in an observant tone, "But there wasn't a single living lifeform."

Zordon thought back to his youth and felt a chill go down what would have been his spine. The people of Kolzar were another hidden tragedy of the bloody conflict.

Despite this, he still found a tang of bare satisfaction, because he had found a way to continue their legacy.

Without the knowledge of his comrades Zordon had snuck a small child aboard their spacecraft. Eltarians were famously extravagant, and often constructed ginormous ships containing dozens of rooms that would never see use,

He managed to hide the child inside one of these axillary rooms, where she would stay for the next few months. She was a barely an infant, with big eyes filled with dreadful tears. He couldn't bare talking to her, for all she sang was whispers of homesickness.

While visiting the planet the Aquatar for a supposed pit stop Zordon released the child to a rebel ally known as Cydon. Cydon understood the importance of this task wordlessly. It was well known that the philosophy of Eltar harchened back to the Order of Meledon itself, legacy must survive, even its initial importance is lost to obscurity. She would carry the last of Kolzar deep into the blood of Aquatar, and over time they would blend into a seamless conversion of the two creatures.

Ten thousand years later and to Zordon's knowledge over half of the population of Aquatar had at least some vague relation to the wayward child of Kolzar. Even through the fires of warfare Zordon had forged hope for the people he had come to love.

Surely if there was hope there, hope could be hiding anywhere.

He watched Alpha feed Zack the powerful water through a thin I.V. Everyone was silent, even when he began to stir. The cerium wasn't instantaneous, and it would take its time to fully cleanse him.

He would survive, though, and that was good enough.


End file.
